The Healed Becomes a Healer

by Anne Early
May/Jun 2007

“I’m healed!” That was the response from Jim Francis a couple of years ago when I asked, “How are you?” Jim was on our campus that day to lend his expertise to some planning that was in the works at CHM. He reminded me that he had received prayer at CHM and was healed of thyroid cancer. I rejoiced with him! Remembering that day and the joy of Christ that shown in Jim’s face, I have asked him to share his testimony which, as you will read, has multiplied since the Lord healed him. Jim’s is a wonderful testimony! The healed becomes a healer — and a great supporter of CHM.

“Hey, Dad, what’s that swelling on your neck?” My son John began my bout with thyroid cancer with that question.
After multiple tests, all surgeons agreed the thyroid should be removed. (I thought, “What else would a surgeon think? If the only tool in your tool box is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.”) The surgery was to be simple, the only downside being that I would have to take a small, pill (no side effects) every day for the rest of my life. After surgery, however, the thyroid proved to be malignant, and decisions had to be made with regard to further treatment. I had seen many of my friends suffer through years of cancer therapy only to die from the ill effects of the treatments. Such a prospect was not something for which I was eager to sign up. By then, however, I had learned from reading several publications about thyroid cancer that I really did not want the type I had — Stage IV follicular thyroid cancer with less than 5% five–year survival rate — and I was hoping mine had not metastasized. To my delight, the prescribed treatment would be to take only a small radioactive iodine pill which would get rid of any remaining thyroid cells.

Before receiving the radioactive iodine, my wife brought home a book, Blessing or Curse, You Can Choose, by Derek Prince. She told me Lee Ann Rummell (Chair of CHM’s Board of Directors) had given her the book. When I asked her if she would read it, she said, “No, it looks a little weird.” I decided to read the book based on the thought that when you have cancer, you look anywhere for relief. (I later learned Lee Ann did not know I had cancer, and that she had intended to give the book to someone else. She had given it to my wife only when she learned that the other person already had a copy.)

I began reading the book. As recommended by Dr. Prince, I also prayed at the end of each chapter to be released from curses, two of which I had specifically identified. It was a joyous, cathartic experience which continued as I completed the book and also took the prescribed radioactive iodine pill. I prayed that the radioactive iodine would find every thyroid cell and destroy it. More importantly, I felt secure and at peace in the Lord; regardless of the outcome, I had been released of the burdens revealed in the book. (Everyone else who was waiting for treatment at the clinic looked worried and burdened. I wanted to share with them the joy of the experience, but I had no platform.)

A few days later, I went with a friend to CHM for prayer. I listed two items for prayer: healing for thyroid cancer, and peace and joy for my family. On my side of the cancer there was peace and joy, but I could see the fear in the eyes of my family. I started to put a third request on the list, that God would direct my path (since I had sold my business and was looking for something to do), but decided that two requests were enough. The prayer ministers were wonderful, and after praying for me for 15 minutes they both said, “You have already been healed.” While we celebrated, one of the prayer ministers said, “May I pray for you again? God has put on my heart to pray for something else.” She asked me to take off my shoes and socks. She anointed my feet with oil and, to my amazement, prayed that God would direct my path. They were not at all surprised when I told them that had been my third but unwritten request.

A few weeks later, I learned that the cancer had, in fact, metastasized. There was a large tumor in one of my vertebrae. I had Stage IV thyroid cancer. My doctors told me that follicular thyroid cancer usually spreads quickly to the brain, liver, lungs and bone. The radiologist recommended that they shoot radiation beams into my back to irradiate the tumor. He explained that the beams also would irradiate my liver and other organs surrounding the area, and that the radiation might affect the spinal cord and possibly cause paralysis. Without radiation, the vertebrae could collapse with the growing tumor, which also would cause paralysis and spreading of the cancer. I told him I thought I had been healed — that I wanted to wait a few months, then have another test. As the months passed, I was confident I had been healed. When the test was run, the cancer was gone. For the last two–and–a–half years, tests every six months have proven the same — no cancer.

After the healing I had lunch with Lee Ann, Francis, and Judith, for a celebration of God’s healing work. As Lee Ann was leaving the luncheon, she said to me, “You know, there is no free lunch; you have to become involved in this healing ministry.” God has answered the third prayer request — my path has been directed. [Jim Francis currently serves on the Board of Directors and chairs the Capital Campaign Committee of Christian Healing Ministries, Inc.]

At the close of a very busy day, and much to his surprise, Jim found himself being used by the Holy Spirit for healing when he attended a teaching by Bill Johnson, author of When Heaven Invades Earth and The Super–natural Power of a Transformed Mind. Johnson, of whom Jim speaks in the following testimony, is an outstanding leader in the teaching and practice of being a true disciple of Christ Jesus.

It was one of those excessively busy weekdays. I had moderated a Board of Director’s meeting for a local ministry and, on my way home, stopped by Grace Church of Avondale to hear the last part of Bill Johnson’s teaching on healing. I had heard Bill speak briefly at lunch that day. There was standing room only in the church, so I slipped in and stood by the rear door to listen to what I expected to be the last 30 minutes of his talk.

I was a bit frustrated because I could not hear clearly all that Johnson was saying, but I was impressed by his authenticity. He distinctly was not bringing praise on himself, and his perspective was that everyone can be trained to participate in bringing healing to others. I agreed with this perspective, but I had watched and listened to those who regularly participate in healing prayer and realized there was more to learn. I was there at Grace Church to learn, and learn I did.

As Bill Johnson was ending his last point some hours after I arrived — and some half hour after he had announced that this was his “last point” — I looked at my watch to leave before the many who were attending went forward for prayer. Instead of having people come forward right away, Bill had his discerning prayer team announce the ailments of the people they felt the Lord had laid on their hearts. As they did this, people raised their hands if they had the ailment that was announced. One young man with shin splints raised his hand, was asked to stand, and was healed instantly. He joyfully ran up and down the aisles to experience the absence of pain. With the many hands being raised, my thought was, “These prayer ministers are going to be here for hours more.” My attention was focused on how I could leave quickly to go home before it all started.

When the prayer ministers had finished naming the ailments or afflictions on their lists and members of the congregation had finished acknowledging certain ones named as theirs, Bill Johnson asked everyone who had raised a hand to put it up again. Half of the people raised their hand. He announced that there were too many for the prayer ministers to pray for individually; anyone who didn’t have a hand up was now a prayer minister. To those of us who had not raised a hand, Bill said, “Find someone with a hand up.” To those with hands raised, he said, “When someone finds you, put your hand down.” I found that a woman standing behind me had her hand up because of an irregular heartbeat. While I believed she could be healed, I had no expectation of being equipped to be effective in praying for her and she appeared to have no expectation of being healed.

I prayed briefly, perhaps 15 seconds, after which I asked her if she felt different. She responded that her irregular heartbeat happened infrequently and might have been from caffeine, she really didn’t know. She then said that what she wanted healed, a constant pain in her back since she was a young child, had not been mentioned. She said she had tried everything without any relief and had just lived with the pain. I asked her if I could pray again. This time I actually felt something in my hand that was on her shoulder as I prayed. Again, the prayer was for about 15 seconds. When I finished, her eyes were open wide and she began to leap, bend and twist with joy, saying, “It’s gone, it’s gone!” She told me that was the first relief she had experienced since she was a child, and that the pain was totally gone.

The next day I was speaking with my cardiologist friend and giving him my testimony. He told me that the cause of an irregular heartbeat can be an intense pain in the person’s back.